Sony reports that 85 percent of its PS4 and PS5 game sales were digital in the last quarter of the fiscal year. This marks a new high for the download trend, further pushing physical media into decline.
The massive increase in digital sales in the period up to March 31, 2026, underscores the shift in which the traditional disc market share has fallen from 81 percent to an average of 15 percent per quarter within a decade. Looking at the entire fiscal year, the digital share stands at 78 percent. This represents an increase of two percentage points compared to the previous year, as analyst Danial Ahmad points out.
Pandemic as a catalyst for the download market
Looking at historical developments reveals the speed of this transformation. Ten years ago, digital sales accounted for only 19 percent. The decisive leap came in 2020. The pandemic drove the share up to 65 percent. Since then, the physical market has not only stagnated, it has been steadily collapsing.
In Germany, discs are holding on more stubbornly compared to markets like the UK or the US, but global figures dictate hardware strategy. While physical retail in the UK is already drastically reducing its retail space, in Germany, collectors and the secondhand market often still support the figures. This doesn't change the overall global trend.
The future of the disc drive in the PS6 era
Despite the small percentage share, the remaining physical demand still equates to approximately 70 million units sold per year. This is too large a customer base to completely ignore in the next console generation. Nevertheless, the development of hardware costs suggests that a disc drive will no longer be standard on the PS6, but will likely replace the current option of the PS5.
Rising prices for components like RAM are forcing manufacturers to cut costs. An optional, modular drive, like the one Sony introduced with the PS5 Slim, is likely to become the standard model. This transforms the disc from a mass-market product into a premium item for enthusiasts, similar to the vinyl record renaissance in the music industry.
DRM debate and offline use
Most recently, Reports on new DRM measures The PlayStation Store update has caused some unrest among players. Sony implemented a new verification feature to prevent refund abuse. Contrary to initial fears, this does not affect offline playability of digitally purchased titles. Ownership rights remain unchanged, although the reliance on platform operators' servers remains the strongest argument in favor of physical media.
For gamers, this development means a shift in costs. While digital purchases are convenient, they completely eliminate any resale value. Those who continue to rely on physical media must be prepared for hardware with a disc drive to cost more in the future. The disc will become a luxury item for collectors, while the average user will become merely a licensee in the store.
If people absolutely want to pay more, fine.
I got the PS5 disc for Pragmata for €6 and I paid €5 for Saros.
Anyone who prefers to pay €80 for a digital version at these prices has only themselves to blame.
Where do you pay such prices?
Saros cost €55 at Media Markt and was sold again for €50 after being played through.
Pragmata cost €60 at Netgames and was sold again for €54.
@ Heavy Ulles
The Gothic Remake costs €40 for disc pre-order at Netgames.
It is bought, gambled on, and then sold again at that price.
You practically never pay more than €15 for a new game.
Oh, okay, that makes sense through buying and selling. I do that sometimes too.
This is also significantly cheaper.
Saros release: Digital €80, Disc €55
You didn't buy it for €5, you rented it for €5 for a few days.
Buying = Owning.
If a DLC is released, or if you want to play it again in the future, you will have to rent/buy it again.
I bought it for €55, so I owned it.
Then I sold my possessions again.
So I owned it for €5.
Is it clear to you now?
People should be allowed to choose how they want to consume their games. However, physical copies could become increasingly expensive if very few games are produced and the rest end up with scalpers. Then the physical version becomes pointless. No one pays €200 just to own a copy. Even steelbook editions used to be exclusive to hits; nowadays, every store, even the most insignificant dual-player game, gets its own. If not, one is quickly produced. Developers have artwork lying around somewhere they don't need anyway. The whole debate about whether physical copies are a niche product or not, or whether a game belongs to you or not, is irrelevant. A disc won't protect you from Sony's arbitrary decisions.
How can one dispossess oneself through consumption?
I'm not a big collector, I only have a select collection, but I'll never understand why people are so hyped about purely digital games (excluding those that are only available digitally). My PSN account was recently blocked, nobody knows why, and it took me a few days to unlock it myself (no, I didn't break any rules and I only play one game online). If I hadn't been able to unlock the account (you read about this happening a lot online, and it happened to an acquaintance of mine), then all my games and any remaining credit would have been gone. Then there's the issue of being tied to the prices of the respective stores. You can't lend or sell games. You only have access to the original version of a game with physical media, which can be advantageous if something is patched or censored later that you don't want, like making the difficulty easier. That's one of the reasons why physical media is always the better choice, even for non-collectors.
Oh dear…always these horrific news stories…
If 80% of crap games are only released online in the I'm store and the majority of the money is made through DLC, shark cards, skins, etc., i.e., micropayments and so on, then you can always come up with such statements.
I still see people everywhere with physical versions, eBay and classifieds are full, new games are sold out at release, and you constantly read that people say they are still looking for copies.
This suggests two things.
1. People still want it, and it's not just a small minority.
2. Either so much is sold or too little is produced that demand often cannot be met.
Regarding the second point, there's nothing more that can be done to help the manufacturers. That's hardly surprising.
In principle, there isn't too little production, because after the release date, even with sold-out titles, there's usually enough available, and copies can still be found in all stores years later. It's only on the release date that there's always too little.
This clearly speaks in favor of demand.
But yes… physical games are dying out… sure.
Actually, your comment confirms the article rather than refuting it. You yourself describe how discs are increasingly becoming something for collectors, day-one buyers, and enthusiasts – precisely the development from a mass market to a premium niche.
I see it differently. When the new Wiper comes out, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, etc., the majority (on consoles) will buy the disc version again.
If there aren't enough physical stores available, people will just buy digitally.
It's clear that online games (the few that are still running) earn massive amounts of money from their digital content, but then you could also say "single-player titles are dead"—we've been discussing that topic repeatedly for years.
It looks different on a PC.
Witcher… not a swipe but who knows, maybe Ciri will swipe someone else's xD